Babylon 5: What New Fans Need To Know Before The Reboot

"Babylon 5" is on its way back, and that's a big deal for science fiction. Fans fell in love with creator J. Michael Straczynski's experiment, a five year mission to tell one epic tale in a way that no other television series had yet accomplished. It paved the way for future successes like "Westworld," "LOST," and "Battlestar Galactica." It was an ambitious project for Straczynski, a screenwriter who's already made our childhoods special with "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and "The Real Ghostbusters."

Babylon 5 is a space station anchored in neutral territory, a place where ambassadors from across the galaxy can meet in relative peace. As the series opens, humanity is recovering from a war that nearly wiped them out. The future of our kind rests on the success of this diplomatic experiment, frequently teetering at the edge of failure. The show ruminates on the aftereffects of war, never shying away from studying the heavy guilts of survival, nor the spiritual comfort of hope. Its cast featured some of the best and most underrated TV actors of its time, from Mira Furlan and Bruce Boxleitner, to Bill Mumy and Walter Koenig.

Before the series is reborn, it's definitely worth it to check out the original. Streaming in its entirety on HBO Max, "Babylon 5" may seem daunting to newcomers. That's why we're providing a quick overview of the series, including a look at its biggest themes, its spinoffs, and its legacy.

Season Two is a season about change and the dread that can follow. The Minbari ambassador Delenn is the heart of this conflict, with her attempt to become a physical bridge between her culture and ours creating a schism in her homeland. Commander Sinclair is abruptly transferred away, and the new leader of Babylon 5 is John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner). The militant Sheridan's appointment by the new Earth president doesn't sit well with Minbar at first, but Sheridan has ambitions of his own.

Meanwhile, Morden's inroads with the ambassadors on behalf of a mysterious alien race builds to the brink of a new war between the Narn and Centauri. The goals of Morden's masters are unclear, but still not as vague as the Vorlon ambassador's efforts to get to know Sheridan. Pieces are moving towards a conflict that would dwarf what the galaxy has known, and one of the biggest is the mystery of what actually happened to Babylon 4.

There are some strange episodes in this season, but it's a rewarding watch after the rough and thinly budgeted premiere season. Where the first year provides the bedrock, the second is where you're either long since hooked, or know it's not for you.

There was a deliberate choice to leave the previous season on a cliffhanger. It's a moment that makes it clear that the great war is won, but how much it will cost the alliance is in doubt. That sets the tone for the fourth year of "Babylon 5," and where many epics will end on a triumphant note, this series is now just past the halfway point. This year is an unflinching look at the power struggles that take root in the vacuum left by an empire's fall.

Coming to the fore is Earth's struggle with its identity. President Clark's racist, authoritarian regime is reaching its climax, empowered by the Psi Corp's ambitions and the tools the Shadows have left behind. The new fight is within, and it's just as fragmentary and complex as the Shadow conflict. Other factions must also choose their new paths; most poignant of these are the Narns. After a century of war and slavery, their ambassador, G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) is the heart of their spiritual struggle. A first-hand survivor of Centauri cruelty, it's up to him to ensure his people don't inherent the Centauri's mistakes.

This season was nearly the last, and its final episode, "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" is a strange, anthological glimpse of the future. Fans wanting to follow the series to its intended end in season five can choose to leave this odd episode for a finale watch party.

For how rough and tumble "Babylon 5" was at first, it can be a surprise to find out it did well enough to allow for several spin-off and tie-in films. For fans looking for the complete experience, this is where the difficulty starts. The original pilot film "The Gathering" is available on HBO Max, listed as the first episode. It contains plot points that the series will come back to down the line, making it a useful watch so long as you're ready for some early installment weirdness. The rest are only available on out-of-print DVD collections, a victim of the channel hop "Babylon 5" endured to survive.

One film, "In The Beginning," is worth seeking out after a series binge. It takes a broad look at the events of the series through the eyes of Londo Mollari, now the aging Emperor of Centauri Prime. It's a bittersweet farewell, expanding on events that were only mentioned elsewhere. "River of Souls," with Martin Sheen in rare alien fit as a Soul Hunter, is a post-Season 5 tale of mortality and ethics, strictly for die-hards. "Thirdspace" is more interesting, containing a glimpse of pure eldritch horror twined neatly with its space opera setting.

"Legend of the Rangers" is a curio, a remnant of a spin-off project that didn't get off the ground, and is safely skippable. "A Call to Arms" is useful viewing if one wants to try out the spin-off that did get a shot, "Crusade." It helps to set the stage for the return of the technomages seen briefly in the main series, while introducing the deadly plague the crew of "Crusade" are charged with ending.

"Babylon 5" is unusual among other franchises in that a majority of its tie-in books and graphic novels are regarded as canon by its creator, who typically provided outlines and guidance. DC Comics published fourteen issues covering four brief storylines, but the collections are fractured and now out of print. One collection was only printed by Titan Books in the UK, and the individual issues, some of which were written by comic legend Peter David, are now rare. 

The novels are easy to find secondhand, but also still out of print. Unfortunately, they have not yet been uploaded to eBook services. Nine standalone novels were written, two are canon. "To Dream in the City of Shadows" visits with Ranger Marcus Cole, exploring his backstory and the guilt that drove him to join the secretive Human-Minbari sect. "The Shadow Within" explores the first human expedition to Z'ha'dum, with a crew that includes a melancholy archaeologist named Morden. Also canon are the miniseries trilogies. "The Psi Corp Trilogy" is the best of these and shows the fate of the manipulative Psi Cop Bester. "Legions of Fire" tells Emperor Londo's experience under Drakh control, and "The Passing of the Techno-Mages" does what it says on the tin.

"Babylon 5" is a loving homage to the ideas of big science fiction, resting on solid old foundations. With Harlan Ellison on board as a creative consultant, the series took old tropes in new directions. One of the oddest connections here is an homage to an Ellison story called "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World." Found in the "Dangerous Visions" collection, Jack the Ripper becomes a plaything to amoral aliens. In "Babylon 5," Jack appears as a plaything to the equally inscrutable Vorlons, acting as their Inquisitor. It's a strange, ironic fate for Jack, and just one of the weirder places the series is happy to explore.

The legacy of author Alfred Bester is also a focus here. Hugo Award-winning novel "The Demolished Man" posits a telepathic future much like the one shown in the series, with the greatest crimes punished by psychic torture — the death of personality. It's an ethical horror explored more than once in "Babylon 5," and the author lends his name to the sadistic Psi Cop Bester for cheeky reason.

"The Lord of the Rings" is also a reference guide to the epic themes of this series, with its broad themes of Dark versus Light, nature versus industry, and even the depths of love between the brief and the immortal finding a home on the Babylon station. It's a knowing wink behind naming a character Lorien. Here Tolkien's master of spirits is exactly that. He's terrifyingly ancient, yet compassionate enough to teach our young race the value of our brief lives.